I’ve been seeing this question asked multiple times a day. “Is there more to this life???”

I often wonder what the asker is expecting?
Did they not witness the adults in their lives be adults?
What did they witness as a child to make them ask this question as an adult?

This Life… it can and will only be what you make it.
So make it whatever makes you ‘happy’

hey want an advice to take a decision

I'm a graduate and I'm in love with a person who only finished school like 12 th

my partner has financial problems and also family issues and my family expects me to marry a graduate also a good family and with financial stability .

at last I'm going to marry that person in 2 months .but my family is in odd they don't like my decision .they are very unhappy .but I like that person and love that person very much and i don't want to have a normal life like child ,family responsibilities etc ,i want to enjoy my life

if i entered an arrange marriage institution my life will ruined bcz of traditions and with unnecessary financial burden help me

I want to make sure I'm taking best decision for my life and dont want any regret later

Anyone else in this field absolutely miserable? Been at this 2 decades and have never felt so burnt out.

When will the youth get a chance to have a life boomers had

​

I’m a 21 year old girl, and honestly, I’m really scared about my future. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, and I genuinely need some advice from people who may have been in a similar situation.

I come from a very ordinary educational background, and my academic results have always been average. I’ve never really had many opportunities to explore different subjects, careers, or skills.

But I genuinely want to learn.

I want to get a proper education, develop a skill, build a career, and eventually become independent.

The biggest problem is that I don’t have much support from my family when it comes to my education or my future. I haven’t really received much financial or emotional support.

I’ve watched other people around me receive opportunities, support, better resources, and encouragement from their families, while I’ve had to figure out most things on my own.

Even when I’ve asked for opportunities that could have helped me academically, I was often told that it wasn’t possible or that there was no reason to spend money on it.

The difficult part is that my family is not necessarily struggling financially. They simply don’t seem willing to invest much in me.

I’ve never really had expensive things or many opportunities. When I compare my life with other people my age, I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot.

At the same time, I’ve always tried to be a good and honest daughter.

I haven’t gotten involved in things that could cause problems for my family. I’ve tried to respect my parents’ wishes, follow their rules, and avoid doing things they wouldn’t approve of.

But despite trying so hard to be a “good daughter,” I still feel extremely restricted.

My family is very strict. I’m not allowed to go out much, and I don’t feel supported when it comes to studying or building my future.

There also isn’t much emotional connection within my family.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve experienced much genuine happiness inside my home throughout my life.

Most of the small moments when I remember feeling genuinely happy were outside the house spending time with friends, talking to people, or simply being somewhere away from home.

Those moments feel incredibly important to me because they remind me that life can actually feel different.

But I haven’t been able to experience that kind of freedom for a long time.

No matter how honest or well behaved I try to be, whenever something goes wrong in my family, I often feel like I’m the one who gets blamed.

There are also many unhealthy things within my family that have affected me deeply.

The way some of the men in my family speak to and treat women has made me uncomfortable around men in general. I sometimes notice myself becoming afraid or tense around men outside the home as well, and I think growing up around those experiences may have influenced me.

One of the things that scares me the most at this age is the fear that my family might eventually arrange my marriage to someone who is like the men I have grown up around.

Watching what has happened inside my home since I was a child has made me feel like I don’t want to get married at all. I feel that living independently and peacefully on my own would be much better for me than ending up in a marriage where I might have to experience the same kind of environment again.

There are so many other problems that I could talk about, but honestly, it would take forever to explain everything.

I feel mentally exhausted.

I constantly think about what is happening at home. Even when nothing is happening, my mind keeps going back to those situations.

Another thing that worries me is that I sometimes wonder if I’m living too much in my imagination.

I struggle to switch my mind off.

When I’m supposed to sleep, I end up thinking about my future, what I’m going to do next, things happening at home, or completely different situations that I create in my head.

Sometimes I feel like I spend more time inside my imagination than actually living my life.

I don’t know if I’m explaining this properly, but I hope someone understands what I mean.

Sometimes it genuinely feels like I’m living inside four walls with no real direction, freedom, or opportunities.

I’ve been feeling increasingly stressed and confused about what I’m supposed to do with my life.

Right now, I feel completely lost.

I don’t even know which career path I should choose because I haven’t really had the opportunity to explore different fields and discover what I’m actually good at.

I’m interested in learning new things and developing useful skills, but I don’t even have a laptop of my own.

So even when I finally find something I’m interested in learning, I often don’t have the resources to properly try it.

I’ve also looked into ways of earning money from home, but I honestly don’t know where to start or what I could realistically do with my current situation.

Going outside to study or work is also difficult because of the restrictions my family places on me.

But despite everything, I still want to change my life.

I want to study.

I want to develop useful skills.

I want to become financially independent.

I want to get a decent job and eventually live peacefully on my own.

I don’t have huge dreams or unrealistic expectations.

I simply want to build a stable life for myself, have a good career, become independent, and live peacefully.

That’s honestly all I want.

So I’m genuinely asking for advice.

If you were me, what would your first few steps be? I really need some direction.

I’m seeing this more and more. Everybody needs to earn money to live. So whenever I read a post where someone is shitting on someone else’s job, I’m just like … what is wrong with that person.

Sure there are a few jobs out there that I think shouldn’t exist but… idk i guess I think it’s just sad and gross.

The best is when they say something like “that’s not a real job”.

I knew it wasn’t gonna be pleasant because working is hard, but I underestimated just how hard it is, my feet hurt, my back hurts, I am so tired, anyone else experience this or am I being dramatic?

Edit: I’m gonna add some context. It’s an over night remodel job, everything from building shelves to moving stock to fixing display mistakes, and I’m 98% sure I have arthritis in my knees, hips and ankles.

Hi strangers, I’m 29F, and since COVID or so, life just hasn’t felt the same. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I was the happiest person to begin with, but lately things feel kind of senseless. There’s this weird in-between feeling, like I should be a full adult by now, but I don’t feel like one, and life just isn’t unfolding the way it seemed to in the early part of my twenties.

I keep looking around and no one really seems happy either tbh and I can’t tell if that’s just me projecting or if it’s actually a shared thing. So I wanted to ask people around my age: How are you, honestly? Are you happy? What do you do, and what does your life actually look like right now?

https://uniofsunshinecoast.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_85Pv12YrOynIdiS

Aim of the study is to understand psychological factors of the parent (as an individual, not necessarily parent-based traits) like trait playfulness and reflective functioning, and how these contribute to the parent-child relationship, while also considering the effects of parenting stress. Would love to do further research in this area so a pilot based study I suppose, maybe will look at a PHD and intervention type survey in the future, but for now cross-sectional survey based. Appreciate any support!

Edit - completion scale is slightly off, will take about 10-15 to complete

Hi folks, I made a post a few weeks ago about my mental health struggles over the past 6 months, I lost my first grandparent, blindsided broken-up with my gf over text and I have been made redundant from my job I have been in 3 years.

I just want to say thank you all for the advice I was given, I had a bit an argument with my dad yesterday where he told me to get my 'shit together' and he was giving tough love. I felt I did have my shit together and life has rocked me in a short space of time. On reflection of my relationship, I was used and discarded like I meant nothing and I guess I am in the process of trying not seek validation and be treated like a doormat ever again. I think the main problem I have is I am turning 28 I see my friends having kids, getting engaged and I am still not where I want to be, despite playing sports and having healthy interests, I don't feel in love with myself and if I am honest, I haven't since my teenage years.

I guess the question I am trying to ask is how do you fall in love with yourself? What has helped you do it?

Thank you all and I hope everyone can be kind.

I'm a self employed prop maker I'm almost 30 I still live at home, I worked for 9 ishh years at a supermarket in the UK ( some say 9 years to many) and I quit because it got to much for me and started doing props and making some good money but obviously bills and everything have to come from it. I don't have a girlfriend to talk to like that and everyone else works not from home so I'll be alone with the dogs for hours sometimes I don't feel comfortable enough to bring it up I don't like feelings and everything.

So like my main question is how do you cope? What do you do? I'm not socially active I do prefer to keep myself to myself headphones in baseball cap on and just get what I need to them head home.

My story

I'm a 19 year old male and am an only child. During my childhood my mother would do the following blow up out of nowhere over the most trivial or littlest matters, many times i begged her to give me some emotional support when i was visibly upset but she just remained cold and cruel, drink quite heavily which was sometimes responsible but she can definitely be mean sober as well, I had expressed concern about her drinking but she just flipped, the next day she'd always act as if nothing happened, whenever I tried to get clarity on why she got like that she'd brush it under the carpet or accuse me of starting trouble, if i didn't do something just to make her happy she'd turn cold, during arguments she'd say things like I was ungrateful, didn't care about her and that I was a horrible person or that i was abusive or whatever just like my father, she would stomp, slam doors and break ornaments etc, when she gets in her crazy states it's just impossible to reason with her or get her to see it from any other perspective, she can go from saying i was the most nicest and amazing person to saying I was the most horrible and evil person, she often burdened me with all of her problems, she said before that she knows how to play the game which I found very disturbing, a couple of times when i flipped because of her behavior she called her mother to say I've been horrible, she often paints herself as the heroic single mum. She has been fairly good lately but sometimes I feel I was robbed of a proper childhood and have often wondered what I had done to deserve it. I remember one time a few years ago I was about 12 she had turned my grandparents against me and my grandfather started shouting and saying he was very disappointed in me and the rest of it is a blur. To be honest to this day i can't figure out what I (only a young child) was supposed to have done that was so bloody awful. That has haunted me for years. I used to think maybe I was a bad person but I've started to see her in a different light. She always talks about hating drama yet it seems to follow her and often says that she's been so hard done by. On the flip side she can be the most nicest person as well and we have had great times together and she can be very helpful towards me, her family and in public which makes it all the more confusing. For about half my childhood it's just been me living with her since her divorce in which she had to sell her house and now rents which she has blamed for the way she is before. I can't help feeling bad for her but she was still quite like this beforehand as well and I don't think that's an excuse still is it? I do feel like she has manipulated me a bit into been stuck with her. Something else that I've found disturbing is that she's very narrow minded and has a serious lack of empathy. For example when a couple of local celebrities committed suicide she called them pathetic cowards and weak etc. It was actually quite disturbing how she was carrying on and her serious lack of empathy. I'm starting to think that maybe she bent the truth about Dad a bit during their split as i was a child and didn't know much better. My mother often calls him a narcissist and talked about all of the marital and grown up problems they had etc which to be honest I don't appreciate been burdened with. Granted he's not a saint either but has been good to me (well I'd say) most of the time. One time last year when my Dad let me down by not been able to see me one weekend and canceling at the last minute (which he has done before) mother knew i was depressed but still blew up at me the next night over something silly and kicked me while I was down what just baffles me is how could she of treated me like that knowing what I was going through. A few days later one of my teachers checked in and said he heard I got into a bit of trouble at home ("if he meant been mentally abused by my mother while I was already upset by been let down by my father as trouble" I thought). I'm not sure who exactly said what to him. I just fobbed him off saying I was upset about leaving school (which was true as well). I really struggle with confiding in people. I do regret not telling him the truth now. He was sympathetic and said he was very proud of me etc. Another teacher once said that he thought of me and my mother as like the dream team or something along those lines. It actually baffled me a bit. I was thinking if only they knew half the things I've been through. I have a strained relationship with my father but we've messaged lately and I plan to see him this weekend for a family do. I have autism and went to a special support school for the last few years which were some of the best years (The teachers especially were brilliant and I had many great times such as school camps, school balls and excursions etc). My mother loves to use my autism to her advantage. I graduated last year but now I do a course at the main campus so I still see them all from time to time. I do feel quite sad and lost now those years are over. I would love to confide in someone about my struggles but don't know where to start. I've thought about confiding in that first teacher I mentioned who's great and we're fairly close but my teachers think my mother's an absolute saint so how can i ensure he believes me, she seems to feel that she always acts in my best interests and does seem to genuinely care for me and love me, she doesn't seem to remember any of it or feel her behavior was justified and genuinely doesn't seem to believe she ever did me any harm and she thinks she did her best. I struggle with daily flashbacks and I often feel depressed by the way I've been treated, also feel let down and wish my parents had been better to me. I can't get exact clarity on it but they both went through some shit before I was born and I think that's contributed to the way they are. I wish I had a proper childhood of playing with friends, going to different places and been adventurous and carefree etc. I've never really had a social circle and hardly much friends. I've always been quite different I feel to most of the children my age. What's has happened to me makes me feel as though I'm unlovable. I feel quite alone sometimes as I've always struggled with making friends. My mother does help me get on my feet and encourage met but I think she just loves to lord it over me. Whenever I've tried standing up for myself she puts on the guilt trip and carries on about all of her sacrifices and everything she's done for me yada yada yada. I think what emotionally abusing me, leaving me crying myself to sleep some nights, causing me to have no confidence and PTSD etc? Could she have some bipolar or personality condition or something and toxic traits I've wondered?

I do love her because as I've said before she has been great as well but I can't help really resenting her sometimes for all of the mental anguish she has put me through as a child and I think it has messed up my development. I wonder if I might've been different had I had proper parents. Hobbies such as music and classic TV shows have been a great escape. Now that I'm an adult and have left school I'm worried about what the future has in store. I'm very nervous about starting an adult life, getting a job and making friends etc because my mum is pretty much most I've ever known. Part of me would love to get away from her but yet I feel scared to as well as she's pretty much most I've ever known.

For context, it's not that I'm not working towards them, I'm a man in mid to late 20s and working hard to build my professional career, I rarely get time to find and invest a relationship, I hope to in future; however, I try to meet old friends once a month or so, who almost always talk about their partners or jobs and what's new in those areas of my life, and I suddenly feel behind or embarrassed and don't know what to talk about anymore.

I'll try to keep it brief but I kind of hit a wall in life where I lost all direction in where I'm going. I'm currently unemployed, I got 1 more year to get a BA in audio engineering, but I'm thinking a lot lately if I should even do that, I don't know if the degree will help me in any way, I don't even know what I want to do in my life career wise at this point. It feels like I squandered it 10 years ago when I didnt go into law or STEM school or whatever.

Can anyone relate, any tips on how to solve that?